27,517 Microsoft Corporation $MSFT Shares Purchased by Sapient Capital LLC

Sapient Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 465,911 shares of the software giant’s stock after acquiring an additional 27,517 shares during the quarter. Microsoft comprises 3.3% of Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Microsoft were worth $238,966,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CoreCap Advisors LLC increased its position in Microsoft by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 37,670 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $19,321,000 after buying an additional 688 shares in the last quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. raised its position in shares of Microsoft by 87.7% in the 3rd quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. now owns 9,438 shares of the software giant’s stock valued at $4,841,000 after purchasing an additional 4,410 shares during the last quarter. Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC boosted its stake in Microsoft by 65.5% in the 3rd quarter. Zevenbergen Capital Investments LLC now owns 517,109 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $265,225,000 after purchasing an additional 204,714 shares in the last quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP boosted its stake in Microsoft by 2,550.8% in the 3rd quarter. Artemis Investment Management LLP now owns 573,809 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $294,307,000 after purchasing an additional 552,162 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dickmeyer Boyce Financial Management Inc. grew its position in Microsoft by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Dickmeyer Boyce Financial Management Inc. now owns 15,901 shares of the software giant’s stock worth $8,156,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. 71.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Microsoft Stock Down 2.2%

NASDAQ:MSFT opened at $533.16 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.96 trillion, a P/E ratio of 27.83, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.05. Microsoft Corporation has a 1-year low of $349.20 and a 1-year high of $559.15. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $517.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $441.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.21.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The software giant reported $4.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.72 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $92.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $90.62 billion. Microsoft had a net margin of 41.17% and a return on equity of 31.28%. The firm’s revenue was up 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $4.13 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Microsoft Corporation will post 19.87 EPS for the current year.

Microsoft Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $0.98 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 19th. This represents a $3.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. This is an increase from Microsoft’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Microsoft’s payout ratio is 19.00%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Amy Hood sold 7,305 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $544.37, for a total transaction of $3,976,622.85. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 548,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $298,364,297.67. This trade represents a 1.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Satya Nadella sold 86,525 shares of Microsoft stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $501.46, for a total transaction of $43,388,826.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 486,763 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $244,092,173.98. This trade represents a 15.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 142,809 shares of company stock worth $72,114,646 over the last ninety days. 0.03% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Microsoft News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Microsoft this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Microsoft and IBM introduced Imagine Enterprise, a platform combining IBM’s library of more than 6,000 AI agents with Microsoft’s cloud, data and security tools. The partnership could help drive enterprise demand for Microsoft’s AI and cloud services. IBM and Microsoft Announce a New AI Agent Platform Designed for Industry-Specific Transformation
• Positive Sentiment: A five-year partnership with Ohio State University will apply Microsoft’s cloud and AI technology to healthcare, research and education, adding another potential customer and use case. Ohio State and Microsoft announce five-year strategic partnership
• Neutral Sentiment: Microsoft reportedly urged the administration to drop a proposed ban on Chinese data-center technology, warning that restrictions could complicate data-center deployment. The outcome could affect equipment access and rollout timing. Microsoft presses Trump to scuttle expected ban on Chinese data-center technology
• Negative Sentiment: Anthropic unveiled workplace tools that could compete with Microsoft Office, including spreadsheet-related capabilities. The move raised concerns about competition in Microsoft’s enterprise software business. Anthropic unveils office suite to challenge Microsoft
• Negative Sentiment: A hot inflation report and rising bond yields weighed on the broader market, creating an additional headwind for technology shares. Stock market coverage on inflation and technology shares

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup restated a “market outperform” rating on shares of Microsoft in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Microsoft from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. KeyCorp set a $625.00 target price on Microsoft in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on Microsoft from $662.00 to $722.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their target price on Microsoft from $586.00 to $595.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, forty-six have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $609.54.

Microsoft Profile

Microsoft Corporation is a global technology company that develops software, cloud services, devices, and digital solutions for consumers, businesses, and public-sector organizations. Founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, the company is headquartered in Redmond, Washington. Its products and services include the Windows operating system, Microsoft 365 productivity applications, Azure cloud computing, LinkedIn, GitHub, Surface devices, and Xbox gaming products and services. Microsoft also provides business software, cybersecurity tools, and artificial intelligence technologies.